Covid 19: Funeral restrictions send family home

A Marlborough man has been left “in limbo” after a sudden lockdown stopped him from attending his mother’s funeral.

Steve* flew from Blenheim to Wellington on Tuesday morning to mourn the loss of his mum, only to turn back a day later after a man from Devonport tested positive for coronavirus, sending New Zealand into alert level four.

Under last year’s level four restrictions, families could only hold services for loved ones that had been living in the same bubble. It is unclear if the same rules applied this year.

“I have family from Auckland who arrived last night and didn’t even leave Wellington Airport. They heard the announcement and knew they had to turn back home.”

The man who tested positive visited a number of locations in Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula on the weekend, and was believed to have been infectious since August 12.

The Government would reconsider New Zealand’s alert level status after three days of lockdown, except for Auckland and Coromandel, which would be reassessed next Tuesday.

“There was no warning that this was coming,” Steve says.

“Previously, the Government has put us in alert level one or two before taking us higher ... The family is sitting in limbo at the moment. Our ability to plan has been taken from us.”

The Government asked people to return home within the first 48 hours of the lockdown. Steve says even if he was able to stay, he is unsure if the lockdown would be lifted.

“Mum might be buried with no-one physically there.”

Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand chief executive David Moger says a lot of difficult conversations would have happened with families, as most funerals are planned three to five days ahead of time.

Although no funerals are allowed, funeral directors are essential workers and can deal with any deaths that happen just before or during the alert level four lockdown.

“For a family who unfortunately lose a loved one from this point forward ... they don’t have to stress, they don’t have to worry, we are here to help them,” David says.

David says there is a lack of clarity from the Government about whether viewings are allowed by members of a deceased person’s immediate bubble. He says it was allowed during last year's lockdown, between March and May, but there is no detail on if this was still the case.

Marlborough Airport operations manager Steve Holtum estimates around 175 people will jet from Auckland to Marlborough during the 48-hour window, based on old data.

“Separation has being introduced so flights are running at 50 per cent capacity, meaning there are about 25 passengers on Air New Zealand planes instead of the usual 50,” he says.

“We’ve been busy with people coming home.”

Steve says the airport is allowed to continue operating until the 48-hour window closes at midnight on Thursday. It will close from Friday “until the level four alert was lifted”.

Marlborough Airport chief executive Dean Heiford says the lockdown is unlikely to impact the airport’s profits unless extended beyond three days. The airport is owned by the Marlborough District Council through a separate company.

Last year’s two-month lockdown saw Marlborough Airport’s passenger numbers nosedive from 326,000 to 225,000. It does not expect to reach its old passenger intake until 2023.

Since the positive case was announced, the airport has intensified its cleaning regime for “high touch point” areas, such as door knobs and baggage trolley handles.

It is also closed to everyone except its passengers, so social distancing can take place within the terminal.

Still, Steve is endeavouring to “see the humour” in the situation. He was due to be vaccinated against coronavirus last week, but had a cough, so was postponed to this week.

* Steve does not want his last name published.